ABSTRACT - Cuencadspace.ucuenca.edu.ec/bitstream/123456789/2072/1/tli272.pdf · ABSTRACT Due to the...

U N I V E R S I D A D D E C U E N C A

1 Angélica Núñez & Fernando Quito

ABSTRACT

Due to the importance of English Nowadays, it is our concern, as teachers, to

look for different ways to teach this language. The gamma of methods to teach

English is vast, but not everybody is conscious of the great importance and

utility of this language, and one of the reasons why this happens might be

because we have not been using a contextualized situation in which our

students can clearly see that by learning this language they can access a world

of opportunities. Therefore, context has become so important to make students

realize those aspects that give a powerful reason to learn a second language.

Our proposal called Content-Based approach combines the contents of a

school subject with a foreign language. The purpose of this method is to give

students a context to learn that language, and, at the same time, to reinforce

the background knowledge on something that we all start acquiring when we

are born.

We consider that a Content-Based Curriculum can be really useful to teach

English in our country. Although, there are a few schools in our city that use this

method, the contents are a little bit de-contextualized because they use foreign

textbooks with information and facts that are strange to us. Unlike this foreign

proposal, we suggest a social studies Content-Based Syllabus, but starting in

our surroundings, our own culture and traditions, and our own history.



CUE WORDS:

CONTENT-BASED TEACHING APPROACH CURRICULUM

BACKGROUND LESSON PLAN



Contents

ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... 1

Contents ............................................................................................................... 3

Acknowledgements .............................................................................................. 6

Introduction ........................................................................................................... 8

Chapter I Theoretical Background ....................................................................................... 9

1.1 Psycholinguistic theories ............................................................................ 9

1.1.1 Second Language Acquisition Theory ................................................. 9

1.1.2 Social Constructivism ........................................................................ 10

1.2 Methods used to teach English nowadays ............................................... 11

1.2.1 Communicative Competence ............................................................ 11

1.2.2 Communicative Approach ................................................................. 12

1.3 Content-Based Approach as a proposal .................................................. 13

1.3.1 An Overview to Content-Based Approach ......................................... 13

1.3.2 Social Sciences, History and Geography, as teaching context ......... 17

Chapter II Methodology and Strategies .............................................................................. 18

2.1 Planning a Content-Based lesson ................................................................ 19

2.2 English Language Development through Social Studies ............................. 21

2.2.1 Social Studies for LEP Students ............................................................ 23

2.2.2 Guidelines for Teachers ......................................................................... 27

2.3 Social Studies Sample Lessons ................................................................... 31

Chapter III Application and Results ...................................................................................... 33

3.1. Conclusions and Recommendations .......................................................... 33

Appendix ............................................................................................................. 36

Works Cited ........................................................................................................ 52



UNIVERSITY OF CUENCA

SCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY

GRADUATION COURSE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

TOPIC:

“CONTENT-BASED: TEACHING ENGLISH THROUGH SOCIAL STUDIES”

PREGRADUATE MONOGRAPH Prior to obtaining the degree of

BACHELOR IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

Angélica Núñez – Fernando Quito

Authors

Msc. Guillermo Pacheco

Director

CUENCA – ECUADOR

2010



All the content of this monograph is the exclusive responsibility of its

authors.

…………………...………. …………………….……

Angélica Núñez Fernando Quito

1204061830 0102930708



Acknowledgements

Thanks to Mother Nature and its energy for providing us all the elements that we need to complete our cycle. Thanks to my dear parents for giving me their blood and flesh and turning me into a human being. Thanks to my family for being my first environment and, eventually, my first society.

Fernando

I’d like to thank God, the one who keeps me alive to achieve my proposed goals. I would also like to thank my friend Guillermo who has guided me in the development of my project.

Angélica



I want to dedicate this work to my beloved kids Samara and Caleb whose births have given me rebirth and, consequently, motivation.

Fernando

I would like to dedicate this work to my kid Nelson Josué and Nathaly Paola because they are the main reason why I have come this far.

Angélica



INTRODUCTION

According to the educational system and based on the experiences of

educators, only in a few schools in our city, the subject of Social Studies has

been used to teach languages, thus English could not be the exception. As a

result, the Social Studies subject can be used to teach a foreign language to

students. This is known as: ‘Content-Based Language Approach’. This work

attempts to demonstrate that it is possible to teach and learn English

considering the different skills in the process mentioned before, speaking,

writing, listening, and reading, in an appropriate, practical, and real way through

Social Studies. This way the objectives set by the teacher can be reached

accurately, in these both cases, teaching and learning English through the two

subjects of Social Studies, History and Geography, on which we are basing our

study.



Chapter I

Theoretical Background

1.1 Psycholinguistic theories

1.1.1 Second Language Acquisition Theory

According to Stephen Krashen (66) and his theory of Second Language

Acquisition, there are some areas or hypotheses which work together in the

learning process of a language. Teachers must take into account these areas

when teaching English.

The first area to be considered is the acquisition – learning hypothesis which

sustains that there are two ways to learn, use, and interact in the Second

Language. Acquisition is a natural way; this is the way people learn their mother

tongue. They get immersed in it since they are babies, and later on they use the

knowledge without awareness of grammatical rules. On the other hand, learning

is the formal process to become competent when using the target language, but

it cannot be formally defined as acquisition.

The second area we have to consider is the monitor hypothesis. Krashen

argues that the acquired system acts as a stimulator of the speaker’s

utterances, and it is responsible for fluency and intuitive judgments to use the

language correctly. The mentioned system is a kind of “monitor”, but using little

shifts that have been produced. At this point, it is important to mention three

conditions: sufficient time, focus on form, and knowing the rules. It is important

to establish a difference; therefore, when we write, the form is the most

important thing. This is not the case when we speak because it is more



important the ability to communicate our ideas than the rules, which take a

second place. Krashen also affirms that all that is produced in a spontaneous

way is acquired rather than learned.

The natural order hypothesis is the third area that we need to consider. It

suggests that we learn the rules and patterns of a language by means of a

natural succession. This means that some rules are acquired earlier than

others. Krashen asserts that the natural order does not necessarily follow the

order in which the rules have been taught.

1.1.2 Social Constructivism

Social constructivism is a theory that uses constructionism and puts it into

social settings. It emphasizes the importance of culture and context in

understanding what occurs in society and in constructing knowledge based on

this understanding. Individuals construct knowledge for others. They cooperate

and create a small culture of shared artifacts with shared meanings. Living in a

culture of this kind provides the learner the knowledge to be part of the

mentioned culture on many levels. This idea of Social Constructivism is

attributed to Lev Vygotsky (Chen 1).

When we mention Social Constructivism, it is necessary to recall its specific

assumptions about reality, knowledge, and learning. To understand and apply

models of instruction that are rooted in the perspectives of social constructivists,

it is important to know the premises that underlie them.



Reality: According to Social constructivists, reality is constructed through

human activity. All the members of a society together create the properties of

the world. For the social constructivists, reality cannot be discovered: it does not

exist prior to its social invention.

Knowledge: Social constructivists believe that knowledge is a human product

as well, and it is socially and culturally constructed. Meaning is created by

individuals through each other’s interactions and with the environment they live

in.

Learning: For social constructivists learning is a social process. It does not only

comprehend an individual. It is not a passive development of behaviors that are

shaped by external forces. Significant learning occurs when individuals are

engaged in social activities.

1.2 Methods used to teach English nowadays

1.2.1 Communicative Competence

We can define it as the knowledge of system of rules that in a certain and

well-defined way assigns structural descriptions to sentences However, this

definition is not clear about the way the learner constructs the output of the

system of rules.

We can also say that competence in any sphere is identified with capacity

or ability, rather than actual performance, which may only reflect underlying

capacity.



Communicative competence is the core of language acquisition. Here both

psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic issues are involved in the process, and the

level of understanding of a language makes human communication possible.

Vygotsky’s theory analyzes this fact deeply.

1.2.2 Communicative Approach

When talking about communicative approach, it is necessary to mention the

importance of helping students use the target language accurately through the

learning of structures and functions, as well as pronunciation; thus, they will

communicate in a successful way.

Students can learn to use the language in real situations by having a variety

of activities, such as role play, pair and group work, interviews, games,

language exchanges, among others. All of these types of activities will give the

students the confidence to develop the language functions and to achieve the

students’ communicative competence. The whole thing needs to happen in a

conscious way by using the real experiences that the students have had in their

lives.

By this method, the situations have to change every day and according to

the students’ responses and reactions. The students will be motivated to learn

the target language because of the variety of the meaningful and interesting

topics they will use first into the classroom and later in a real situation.

Margie S. Berns (98), an expert in the field of communicative language,

says that language is interaction; it is an interpersonal activity and its



relationship with society is clearly established. Language study has to look at

the use or function of language in context, both its linguistic context uttered

before and after a given piece of discourse and its social or situational context.

According to Claire Kramsch (35) the communicative methods of language

teaching, whether the functional ones of the seventies or the competitive-

orientation ones from the eighties, expose the learners as much as possible to

spoken or written textbooks which have not been made with pedagogical

purposes. We hope that by making conversation more authentic, learners can

understand the speech customs and the ways of living of people, who have

settled down in a country where the language is spoken, thus behave and react

appropriately in native-speaker environments. This methodology is inspired

mainly in pedagogies developed to teach ESL to immigrants who are living in

English-speaking countries.

1.3 Content-Based Approach as a proposal

1.3.1 An Overview to Content-Based Approach

Basically, the content-based approach refers to the study of a language

using the contents of a school subject, such as, mathematics, science, social

studies, computer technology, and so on. To do so, we follow a common

subject program which is planned for the school year, but instead of using the

students’ mother tongue, we use a target language such as English, which is

the language we are concerned about.



We can consider several advantages of using content-based English

language development. First, ESL or EFL students have a rich and real context

with a variety of topics and subtopics which can be really interesting to them. In

Science, for example, the main topic can be “The Human Body”, and the

subtopics may be “The human skeleton”, “The muscular system”, “The digestive

system”, and so on. Second, the schema or background, which is merely all

previous knowledge that people have, can give students a base to start. They

do not begin without knowing a word because the mental images based on their

experience gotten during their lives make them contextualize the target

language. Third, the time in the school timetable used to cover the target

language and the school subject can be reduced at half or remain the same.

For example, if the number of History hours at a school is five per week and

English involves other five hours, the total number of hours assigned for both

subjects will be five, thus, giving the school an opportunity to add more subject

or increase the number of hours of certain subjects that may be more necessary

according to the expectations of modern world. However, if it remains without

changing, the former ten hours in total, the time will be longer in order to fulfill

the objectives set in the subject planner. To conclude, we must say that the use

of such an approach will open the doors to a new world of experiences and

achievements.

The basic difference between a content-based approach in the language

learning process and traditional approaches is that the focus is not exclusively,

or even primarily, on language learning. Instead, the focus is on learning the

content subject.



Henry Widdowson (56) firstly proposed academic subject matter as an ideal

vehicle for language teaching, noting that vocabulary, linguistic structures, and

modes of expression tend to appear repeatedly in a given subject area. The

practice necessary for linguistic mastery is gained through a natural cycle of

language pattern repetition related directly to the discipline of study. In art

history courses, for example, native patterns are descriptive, while the social

sciences use argumentation structures involving cause and effect.

The rationale for the content-based approach is reinforced by Anderson’s

cognitive theory of learning (132) which posits two different kinds of knowledge:

declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge. Declarative knowledge is

what a person knows about, while procedural knowledge is what a person can

do. The content-based approach produces both declarative and procedural

knowledge. The student gains mastery of the language (procedural knowledge)

and mastery of the subject (declarative knowledge) simultaneously. Since

internet literacy demands procedural, not declarative, knowledge, the content-

based approach should produce internet skills just as it produces linguistic

skills.

The content-based approach uses task-based teaching principles to

provide the learner with purposeful tasks, the mastery of an academic subject,

and repeated opportunities for meaningful communication. The key then to the

content-based approach is to increase students' procedural knowledge by

providing them the right tools (linguistic or internet) that they need to master

their academic tasks.



According to Jean Brewster (01) Content-Based language teaching is a

version of bilingual education and subject-teaching, which simultaneously

teaches the language required for school learning and promotes thinking skills.

In Europe it is referred to as CLIL content and language integrated learning; in

other areas, it may be referred as language across the curriculum or cross-

curricular language learning.

Henry Widdowson (02) says that the notion of context has increased in

recent years in both the study and teaching of a language. Language teachers

have been persuaded of the importance of communicative competence as a

pedagogic objective and this has generally been taking to mean the ability to

use language which is contextually appropriate. The idea, saying that meaning

is more important than the form, has been a topic for discussion for a long time

which implies giving primacy to context rather than code, as if these were in

some kind of necessary opposition.

Content-Based English language development is accurate because it

develops academic language skills, and it may be more interesting to students

than ESL classes. Content areas like science, mathematics, and social studies

give students numerous topics related to a variety of personal interests,

whereas ESL classes focus on language only. Students can be motivated by

the different topics presented and in knowing that they are developing the

concepts and skills associated with these subjects. They are doing “double

duty” with the real school work and learning English.



However, applying a content-based English language development has

various challenges and demands in order to be successful. LEP (Limited-

English-Proficiency) students need systematic and extensive instruction and

practice in the types of activities they will encounter in the mainstream class. An

occasional, randomly selected ESL lesson on a topic in social studies or

science will not adequately prepare students to the type of language-related

activities in these subjects that they will encounter in the mainstream classroom,

for example, in the middle and upper grades, where the curriculum in the

content areas becomes progressively more challenging and demanding in

terms of complexity and language demands. To achieve success, a content-

based ESL curriculum should follow a sequence according to the student’s level

in both, content and language subjects. In Geography, for example, our starting

point can be features of our city, and then continue with the province, and later

on the country. Going back to any of the former topics will cause a gap with its

subsequent effects on the students such as boredom and standstill of

knowledge.

1.3.2 Social Sciences, History and Geography, as teaching context

History

1. A narrative of events; story.

2. A chronological record of events.

3. The branch of knowledge that records and analyzes past events.

4. The events of the past. (“History”)



According to our experience, one of the most difficult grammar tasks when

teaching English language is the past tense, whether simple, perfect, or

continuous. The lack of real and interesting contexts tends to create ambiguity,

making the language abstract and difficult to assimilate. History with its

transcendental facts gives us a rich and real context and activates the learners’

prior knowledge motivating and making them realize the importance of learning

a second language.

Geography

1. The science dealing with the earth’s natural features, climate, resources, and

population.

2. The physical characteristics, esp. The surface features, of an area.

(“Geography”)

By means of physical description, Geography provides information about

the earth and its shapes, natural features, societies and cultures. Such

contexts, interesting for its real contents, can be used in the English language

teaching, focusing in its descriptive structures and language.

Chapter II



Methodology and Strategies

2.1 Planning a Content-Based lesson

Planning an accurate content-based lesson can be a demanding job, but

the achievement of objectives is worth the effort. Language skills, subject matter

content, and learning strategy development can be integrated as one unified

lesson. There are some suggestions to start planning such a lesson.

Set both language and content objectives.

The objectives are very important, and they must be clearly specified. In this

case we have two kinds of objectives, the ones referring to subject matter or

content, and the others involving directly language skills. Different question can

be used in order to identify those objectives related to subject matter. For

example, what facts should students acquire as a result of this lesson? What

concepts should students get from those facts? What skill will be developed in

this lesson? Question to identify language objectives are: How will students use

English to understand and remember facts introduced in this lesson? Which

language skills are needed to express knowledge of concepts and facts? How

will students use English to practice the skills required in this content area?

What additional practice can be included to improve language proficiency of

lower students?



Establish suitable learning strategies for the lesson.

Advance organization, selective attention, and self-evaluation, which are

meta-cognitive strategies, should be included in every lesson because they are

believed to assist transfer of cognitive learning tasks. Those cognitive strategies

depend on content and language objectives of the lesson. Thus, if students will

acquire facts through reading or listening, summarizing and note taking can be

really good strategies. On the other hand, if the lesson requires classification,

the best cognitive strategy would be grouping. Social affective strategies must

be considered as well, and they have to be selected according to the type of

classroom activities rather than the issues to be learned. Asking questions for

clarification, cooperation between classmates in groups, and problem solving

discussions are some of the activities that should be included in a content-

based lesson. Trying to reduce self-talk techniques can lower stress in lessons

that are considered as evaluation ones.

Sequence the activities in the lesson through organizing principles.

As teachers, we are completely familiarized with these five organizing

principles or stages, which are: preparation, presentation, practice, evaluation,

and follow-up. In the preparation stage the teacher gets the students ready for

the lesson. He gets them focused on the topic. Brainstorming is a common

technique to do so. Students are the ones who provide all the information that

they already know about the topic that is about to be studied. In the former



chapter we had mentioned the schema or background which everybody owns

as an advantage to develop a content-based lesson. During the second stage,

the teacher presents the new material in different ways. This can be done by

explaining it, making students read it, showing a video or playing a CD with

auditions. The next stage to be considered is practice. In this stage students

can immediately practice the new material in order for them to manipulate the

concepts and the language skills required to synthesize the new information;

this has to be done in an active and meaningful way. The evaluation stage can

be done during the practice, taking into account that it can be started by the

teacher or the students themselves. Sometimes we tend to confuse the

meaning of the term evaluation with examination, but in the learning process it

is just the time students should take to correct themselves, or to be corrected by

the teacher by means of checking common mistakes or problems that may be

encountered. Finally, a follow-up activity should be planned in order to provide

students with an opportunity to put everything together, new concepts and skills

acquired into the lesson, into their knowledge framework. This is also called the

production stage in which students start to use the language with their natural

limitations, in a meaningful situation.

By following the suggestions mentioned before, English teachers will be

able to achieve success when developing a content-based lesson. They will

also be able to fulfill their personal and group objectives.

2.2 English Language Development through Social Studies



The main goal of the social studies curriculum is helping students

understand themselves as individuals and then others by means of learning the

way people live nowadays, how they lived in the past, and the way society has

changed and developed in different areas of the world (Chamot & O’Malley 65).

Another important objective in social studies is the acquisition of an identity,

being concerned about origin and ancestors; this way, students can learn to be

good and responsible citizens.

Social studies emphasize on history and geography of different people

and places. Other subjects having to do with socials studies are economics,

sociology, anthropology, and they are taught progressively. In Ecuador, social

studies programs and textbooks start with contents about our immediate

environment of family, school, and neighborhood; then it expands progressively

to our city, province, and country. Just in that moment, we begin to learn about

life in other parts of the world and different periods of history. This sequence is

really important because it helps students develop their schema.

The traditional and maybe most important objective of social studies has

been learning basic factual knowledge on historical events and geographical

features; however, the modern vision of educators has enhanced that classic

point of view, and nowadays we have objectives like universal applications with

roles, institutions, values, culture, environment, needs against wants,

interdependence, and changes. To reach this point, an active and thoughtful

participation of students is required, accompanied by learning strategies

instructions and activities to develop language skills.



Besides contents including facts and features of the social studies

curriculum, it is necessary to consider the development of skills in those LEP

students, adjusting to their reality and needs. The curriculum must not be

designed only for class A students, but for the lower ones as well. Those skills

include reading, listening, vocabulary development, social and academic

communication, reading maps and graphs, making tables and charts, study

skills, and research and report writing skills. The development of language

proficiency on students will be achieved if we consider all these aspects.

Applying a social studies content-based curriculum in all the schools in

Ecuador can be a big deal, and it can also happen to be challenging because

such a curriculum requires a high level of literacy; however, it gives us a tool to

improve not only the knowledge in our students but their lives themselves.

2.2.1 Social Studies for LEP Students

Limited English proficiency students may encounter many difficulties in a

content-based curriculum on social studies. They may find it hard to understand

the material presented by the teacher as well as those de-contextualized

language in social studies textbooks. Students might have to deal with

concepts, facts, and features, and besides that, they might have a struggle with

the target language. These are some of the possible problems students may

face during a development of a content-based lesson:

Vocabulary



Social studies have a specialized vocabulary and students need to learn

it so that they can discuss and report their different ideas. Some examples of

this specialized vocabulary, in Geography for example, are plain, rainforest,

bay, and gulf. In history we can find words like empire, discovery, conquering,

and treaty. Of course, the words mentioned before may sound easy for us, as

teachers, but they are not every day words for students.

Discourse

Social Studies also need a kind of expository discourse to present facts

and concepts. This type of speech begins with series of chronological events,

as in history, or cluster of facts as in geography. Thus, students can use

discussions of cause and effect, evolution of events, and facts that are being

described. It is important to present the texts and readings with an appropriate

language so that students can use that language accurately in the upcoming

lessons.

Structures

In Social Studies textbooks in Spanish we find long sentences that may

result a little bit hard to understand. We can also see the skipping of

grammatical tenses such as: from present simple to past perfect, past simple to

future and so on. These structures are even presented in elementary level

books. As Spanish is our first language, it is not a big deal to understand, but

we should try to avoid social studies books in English that come from English

speaking countries because they use a language with structures suitable for



English native speakers. The solution to this possible problem is to create

material that follows a progressive order; this means from very simple structures

for the beginners to more complicated ones for the higher levels.

Language skills

Language skills are used in Social Studies as they are used in other

content areas or subjects. These skills vary according to the group’s level and

the teacher; however, in the very beginning students must learn listening and

reading as well as expressing understanding of the facts and concepts that

have been presented. Later on, they must be able to participate in class

discussions, writing answers to questions, and reporting on research.

Study skills

In education, studies skills are required in all the areas, and social

studies cannot be the exception. “These study skills, according to content

areas, have been identified as: book skills, library location skills, library

resources, note-taking and outlining, test taking, and using graphs, tables,

charts, and maps to find and relate information, and to deal with it”. (Chamot &

O’Malley 69)

ESL teachers should be the ones who prepare the students for eventual

misunderstanding and problems. They must incorporate a variety of language

activities with social studies contents appropriate to students’ age and level.

Teachers can provide valuable assistance by showing their students the way



they can use learning strategies to work with the material that has been

presented.

Teachers can help lower students overcome their language difficulties

that can be encountered in the social studies curriculum by providing them with

additional language practice, and by simplifying the language, but not the

content, if it necessary. It is important to include activities that may be significant

to the culture and background of the students. Nowadays, many students can

bring rich resources of their personal experience, knowledge, and

understanding to the Social Studies class.

Haggard (Chamot & O’Malley 71) proposes an approach with interaction

of different strategies to reading in content areas. According to this approach,

students use meta-cognitive, cognitive, and social-affective strategies when

reading to learn. First, students work in small groups to share what they already

know about the topic. Then, they predict the kind of information that will be

found in the material given by the teacher. Once they have done this, they read

the material to confirm or work on their predictions. Next, students have to

organize the information, and they have to be able to use the material

appropriately. There is a vocabulary activity involved in the use of learning

strategies. In this activity, students individually select the vocabulary words that

may be essential from the reading, then, in groups, they organize lists and

definitions. This activity may result interesting because through the cooperation

between students, they can get lists of words that are usually similar to the

teacher’s.



All these activities, language skills, and learning strategies should help

teachers develop a good social studies content-based program.

2.2.2 Guidelines for Teachers

There is a procedure teachers must follow when applying a social studies

content-based lesson. First, the teacher should establish social studies

objectives. As we have mentioned before, these content objectives should be

suitable for the age and grade level of the students, they also have to develop

subject concepts and social studies skills; for example: how to use maps,

graphs, and reference materials. Once more, the selection of the topics should

be appropriate because the introduction of a basic level material into a high

level group will cause a lack of interest in the students as they may find that

material not challenging enough.

It is important to identify language objectives as well. The teacher should

incorporate a variety of language activities in order to cover the four skills.

These activities can include vocabulary development, listening comprehension,

academic and social discussion, report writing, oral presentation, practice in

using difficult grammatical structures, and reading for purposes.

The learning strategies that the students can use to understand, retain,

record, and use both the content information and the language skills should be

determined too. Some of those strategies were mentioned before, but the

teachers should choose the ones that they consider more effective as well as

the ones used by the students themselves.



Evaluation is another point of discussion; thus, teachers should plan to

evaluate social studies language skills and social studies concepts as much as

they can. Sometimes the contents may tend to be hard for students during the

evaluation; for this reason, a good technique is to keep the language as simple

as possible in activities for social studies contents evaluation, and when testing

for language, keep the content extremely simple.

Learning strategies

Chamot and O’Malley (73) suggest some of their own strategies besides

other well known to be applied in a content-based lesson plan.

When working with social studies vocabulary, we can apply these

learning strategies: grouping is a strategy that involves classification of new

words according to functions or semantic category; for example: geographical

regions and products of a country. Imagery consists on making mental pictures

of words or concepts that must be remembered. Cooperation is another useful

strategy because students work together to analyze meanings of words, look up

definitions in dictionaries, test each other, and do crossword puzzles.

When working on reading of a social studies text, we can use strategies

like: advance organization which consist on skimming through the reading in

order to preview the topic. Later on, students can practice selected attention as

they scan a text looking for specific information, and they are able to identify

main ideas, such as people and dates in a history text, and features in a

geography text. Students can guess the meanings of new words through



context clues, and they can predict a conclusion or result through inference.

Summarizing and note-taking are used to recall the material read. Two specific

strategies for social studies reading are transfer and elaboration.

Among strategies to work on listening to the teacher in a social studies

lesson, we can mention selective attention, in which students listen for the facts

that they considered the most important, like: causes of events, dates, names,

and products.

When talking about listening comprehension, it is necessary to mention

summarizing and note-taking, which we are very familiar with.

A learning strategy that can also be used in listening recall is

cooperation. Once students have listened to an explanation, they can consult

each other, and put the information together to reconstruct the audition.

Two learning strategies that can be used for speaking and listening

interactions in a social studies class are selected attention and questioning for

clarification.

Organization planning is a learning strategy that can be used for

preparing and presenting oral reports on social studies topics. Here students

plan their presentations or reports with the language that will be needed. Then

they can use resourcing and cooperation to begin their reports.

For writing social studies reports, students can use the same strategies

as those used for oral reports. For example, the first step would be organization

planning, considering the parts of a paper, which include an introduction, a main



body containing the description of the most important events, and a conclusion

with its corresponding conclusions. Students should also know how to

incorporate linguistic markers.

Once the report has been planned, the students will use resourcing as a

strategy that involves study skills. It is basically researching for material that will

be used to write the report.

Finally, cooperation and self evaluation are two strategies when writing a

report. Cooperation means group working, in which students share their reports

and ask for feedback. In self evaluation they look in a critical way at their draft

reports and decide whether they need or not to make changes to the final

report.

These learning strategies, techniques, and activities that we have

mentioned, will be appreciated in the two lesson plans that we have elaborated.



2.3 Social Studies Sample Lessons

“UNIDAD EDUCATIVA MENSAJEROS DE LA PAZ”

LESSON TOPIC: BAÑOS DE AGUA SANTA

CONTENT: Geography

OBJECTIVE: By the end of the lesson, the students will be able to use English to talk about the city of Baños, its location, its geographical features, tourist attractions and entertainment.

METHODOLOGY: Content-based approach

TRANSVERSAL POINT: They participate in the class and talk about Baños naturally.

SKILLS CONTENTS METHODOLOGICALSTRATEGIES

RESOURCES EVALUATION

GENERAL SKILLS: . Reading . Listening . Writing . Speaking SPECIFIC SKILLS: . Reading for general facts and other aspects of Baños . Listening to an audition about entertainment in Baños. . Writing a description of Baños . Using the vocabulary about the places and entertainment in Baños

1.CONCEPTUAL CONTENT . Vocabulary . Location, geographical features, tourist attractions, and entertainment. . There is/ there are, adjectives, prepositions 2. PROCEDURAL: . Brainstorming Baños .Reading about Baños . Presenting video and, or pictures. 3. ATTITUDINAL : . Punctuality to finish tasks . Attention to the explanations . Predisposition to complete the task . Creativity

1.WARM UP:. Show the video or the pictures. 2. PRETEACHING STAGE: . Brainstorm Baños. . Introduce the topic through the reading. . Identify new words and go over them with the students. 3. KNOWLEDGE BUILDING ACTIVITIES. . Do the exercises on worksheet 1(word search, tag pictures, write sentences) . Do the exercise on worksheet 2(existence and spatial relationships); provide the grammar sheet as support 4.- FINAL ACTIVITIES. Oral practice through a dialogue about students preferences in Baños

HUMAN:Students and teacher MATERIAL: . Reading text on Baños . Pictures . Video . 2 worksheets . Grammar sheet

FORMATIVE:.Write a brief report of another beautiful place in Ecuador SUMMATIVE: . Oral presentation “Imagine being in Baños”



“UNIDAD EDUCATIVA MENSAJEROS DE LA PAZ”

LESSON TOPIC: The Incas

CONTENT: History

AIM: By the end of the lesson the students will be able to use English to talk about the Incas, their organization, customs, and some other aspects of their culture.

METHODOLOGY: Content-based approach.

TRANSVERSAL POINT: They assume an active role in the class and get interested in their ancestors.

SKILLS CONTENTS METHODOLOGICALSTRATEGIES

RESOURCES EVALUATION

GENERAL SKILLS: - Reading - Listening - Writing - Speaking SPECIFIC SKILLS: . Reading for general facts about the Incas . Listening to an audition about the Incas’ development . Writing a brief summary about the Incas . Talking about the Incas

1.CONCEPTUAL CONTENT . Vocabulary . Organization, customs, and other facts of the Incas . Simple past tense, used to, would for habits 2. PROCEDURAL: . Brainstorming the Incas .Reading about the Incas . Presenting video and, or pictures 3. ATTITUDINAL: . Punctuality to finish the tasks . Attention to the explanations . Predisposition to work . Creativity

1.WARM UP:. Show the pictures of the Incas and share them with the students 2. PRETEACHING STAGE: . Brainstorm to get their ideas about the Incas . Introduce the topic through the reading text . Identify new words and go over them with the students 3. KNOWLEDGE BUILDING ACTIVITIES: . Complete the task on worksheet 1(tag pictures) . Complete the tasks on worksheet 2(content and grammar exercises); provide the grammar sheet as support. 4.- FINAL ACTIVITIES: . Oral practice through a presentation interesting facts of the Incas

HUMAN:Students and teacher MATERIAL: . Reading text on the Incas . Pictures . video . 2 worksheets . Pieces of information on other pre-Hispanic cultures . Grammar sheet

FORMATIVE:. Write a brief report on other pre-Hispanic cultures SUMMATIVE: . Oral presentation of the report



Chapter III

Application and Results

3.1. Conclusions and Recommendations

A content-based program is a long term process that involves a lot of

planning. To establish such a program as part of the curriculum in schools it is

required to prepare a whole project. We have analyzed the content-based

approach as a real and practical alternative to teach English. We have also

elaborated two brief sample social studies content -based lesson plans, which

were adapted to actual circumstances such as time and infrastructure of our

education and environment we apply these history and geography lessons

plans in a school called “Unidad Educativa Mensajeros de la Paz”. This is a

school located in Santa Isabel which is a small town one hour and half away

from Cuenca by car. We chose a school in this town because the school year

begins in April and finished in January; this fact gave us enough time to make

the proposal to the authorities and do the work.

“Unidad Educativa Mensajeros de la Paz” is a private co-ed school. It

is a school that is growing, for this reason the eighth is the highest grade in the

school. Kids study in the morning from seven thirty to one thirty p.m.

We decided to work with the eighth grade because we wanted the

kids to provide as much information as they could. They also had basic English

knowledge which gave us a starting point. There are a good number of students



in this grade, fourteen girls and fourteen boys. They have one hour of English a

day five days a week. One class is forty five minutes long, so we use two days

for every lesson plan.

When they first saw us, they felt a little bit scared but curious. As this

school is private, most kids have a stable economical situation, so they have

had the opportunity to visit different places in Ecuador, and couple of them out

of the country. Somehow this is an advantage, but the most important thing is

the environment itself to develop their schema or background which is so

valuable for a content-based approach on social studies because they live their

culture every single day.

We did not really feel amazed once they started sharing what the

already knew about the topics we had based our lesson plans on because, from

the very beginning, we were conscious of the potential that an individual can

have just by living day after day; therefore, in that moment we were just proving

the value of that previous knowledge.

The association of content and language was not that hard then

because their prior knowledge was activated, and all those ideas just needed to

be organized and expressed in a different language. By the fourth lesson, we

had a clearer idea of the whole process of associating the content and the

language. However, as we said before it is not a matter of a few lessons but a

whole continuous content-based program.



With just a few lessons it is hard to determine any kind of progress,

but there are some very important facts that we were able to actually prove:

a. The activation of the prior knowledge

b. Their motivation to learn English in a different way

When we use a content-based syllabus the focus is as strong in the

content as in the language.

We highly recommend our readers, which might mainly be teachers,

the use of content-based syllabi in order to develop subject matter and

language.



Appendix



In Baños there are many outdoor activities you can enjoy doing. Among these activities we can mention extreme sport like rafting, kayaking, waterfall climbing and bridge jumping. Other quieter activities are trekking, horseback riding, and swimming in hot springs.

There is a lot of nature around Baños. There are beautiful waterfalls such as: “El Pailón del Diablo” and “El Velo de la Novia”. There is a mountain range near Baños called “Llanganates”. There is an active volcano called “Tungurahua’’. It has been active for ten years.

Besides these natural features, Baños has different facilities such as: hotels that go from 6 to 110 dollars per day, different kinds of restaurants, bars and discos, and thermal water pools. There is also a small zoo where you can see a variety of local animals.

Baños de Agua Santa

Baños is located in The Ecuadorian Sierra in the province of Tungurahua. It is situated in a valley of waterfalls and hot springs, four hours away from Quito by bus. It is a gateway to the Amazon Region. It is a beautiful and quiet place where people can enjoy relaxing and doing different activities.



WORKSHEET 1

1. Find some of the sports or activities that you can practice in Baños.

C N Q O L C J J G C L I M B I N G V B P P I Z H F C U M I L I N G I S V R I D I N G I U L Z X L K P J H O R S E B A C K R I D I N G L U A F R O T E G U L H N L Z I I I V M O U N T A I N B I K E A N U J D R M I A E D Y R E F T I N G D N E W U T S G A U S X V B G S P E M S D E R E T R E K K I N G F O W U K A S E M E O P O O M H T Y U A W V

2. Tag the pictures of the activities.

___________________ ___________________ ___________________

___________________ ___________________ ___________________

3. Write five sentences about sports that you would like to practice in Baños.

1.‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐2.‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐3.‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐



4.‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐5.‐ ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

WORKSHEET Nº 2

1.‐ What’s there in the map? Write sentences using There is / There are

1. There are two hotels. 2. There is a church between the restaurant and the disco. It is on Montalvo avenue. 3. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 7. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 9. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 10. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

CAFENET MUSEUM

BUS STATION

PARK

RESTAURANT CHURCH

STADIUM

DISCO

SWIMING POOL

HOTEL BANK

BUS STATION

POST OFFICE

HOTEL

A l f a r o S t r e e t M o n t a l v o A v e n u e

R o c a f u e r t e A v e n u e

P a s t a z a

A m b a t o A v e n u e



Grammar Reference Sheet

There is / There are

Singular

There is…… (there’s)

There is not…. (there isn’t , or there’s not)

Is there…..?

There is a big tree in the park.

Excuse me, is there a hotel near here?

We can’t go skiing. There isn’t any snow.

Plural

There are

There are not…. (there aren’t)

Are there…..?

There are some big trees in the park.

Are there any letters for me today?

How many players are there in a soccer team?

There is and it is

There is

There’s a book on the table. Not “It’s a book on the table.”

It is

I like this book. It’s interesting (it = this book)



The Incas were socially, economically, politically, and militarily well organized. For this reason, they developed a good agriculture using techniques as: construction of terraces, irrigation channels, and silos which were a kind of barn where they would store their corn, which was the main product of their economy. Socially, the Inca people had a pyramidal structure. On top of it was The Inca, who was the king. The nobility, who were Incas Family, was in second place. The governors were the next, and finally, the “Curacas” who were the chiefs of the conquered ethnical groups.

The Incas had certain rules to control the population of the different ethnical groups that joined the big empire. - They tried to generalize their religion. They used to adore the sun, but they would respect the religion of the conquered groups. - There were a group of men that controlled possible complots and the correct tax payment. - Rebels were punished severely in public to scare people and control them.

Their army was big and powerful. It used to impose discipline and watch over the delivery of groceries to the stores.

Their main god was the sun or “Inti”, but they also adored the thunder, the storm, the rain, the lightning, the rainbow, etc.

Of this big empire we preserve the greatest referent sites: “Machu Picchu” in Peru and “Ingapirca” in Ecuador.

The Incas

When the Spaniards arrived in America, the Incas already governed the greatest pre-Hispanic empire that extended along the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountain range. The name of this empire was “Tahuantinsuyo”, in which there were about twelve million people. They used to communicate through twenty different native languages.



Worksheet 1

Match the pictures with the tags.

The Inca’s Face

The Inca Empire

The Inca

The Chasqui Route

The Sun Temple

Machu Picchu City



Worksheet 2

a. Answer the questions about the reading “The Incas”.

1. How many people lived in the Tahuantinsuyo approximately?

Approximately ________ __________ people l________ there.

2. Which techniques did the Incas use to develop their agriculture?

They c_____________ t_____________, i_____________ c__________, and s_________.

3. Which was the structure of the Incas concerning their society?

They h______ a p______________ s____________.

4. Which was their most important god?

It w______ the S______.

5. Which are their most important referent sites and where are they?

They are _________ __________ in __________ and ______________ in _____________.

b. Complete the text with the verbs in past tense.

Live have come use be build extend

The Incas __________ in the Tahuantinsuyo territory which ____________ along the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountains.



They __________ perfectly organized before the Spaniards _________. They _________ architecture, agriculture, religion, and social organization. They ___________ beautiful temples and houses. They _________ different languages to communicate.

Worksheet 3 (Advanced)

The Incas, Part 1

By Jane Runyon

brutal generation luxury negotiation civilization

city-state conquistador maintain govern version

throne existence military traces official

Directions: Fill in each blank with the word that best completes the reading comprehension. Far to the south of Mexico, the largest empire of the western hemisphere was established. At its height, Inca land covered most of the western edge of what is now South America. This empire began somewhere around 1200 A.D. Three stories have been passed from generation to (1) _______________________ about how the Inca Empire was founded. The first story tells of a man who decided to start his own village. He and his four sons, four daughters, and their husbands and wives walked until the grandchild of the man led them to a valley. It was there that they decided to live. The child's father, Manco Capac, became the leader of the village. In another story, Manco and his wife were ordered to leave the bottom of Lake Titicaca and go into the mountains to create a city by the sun god, Inti. They discovered a series of underground caves and tunnels which led them to where the city would be built. The city was to be called Cuzco. The third (2) _______________________ of the story has a sun god complaining to his wife that he is lonely. She suggests that he create a whole new (3) _______________________ . He could order the people to worship him. That way he would never be lonely again. He liked this idea and created the Incan people. He put the people high up in the Andes Mountains so that they would be closer to him. It would



be easy to worship the sun god from there. The Incas left no books or written history so all of these stories were told to succeeding generations. However the Incas came to be there, scientists can trace their (4) _______________________ to the late 12th and early 13th centuries. The capital of Cuzco was a (5) _______________________ . There is proof that Manco Capac was the first leader of note. About 1438, the Incas decided to organize their kingdom. The land they had acquired through war and through peaceful (6) _______________________ was divided into four sections, the northwest, southwest, northeast, and southeast. At the corner where each of these sections met was the city of Cuzco. If the Incas found a territory that they wished to add to their kingdom, the leader sent messages to the leader of the territory. He offered them (7) _______________________ goods and protection if they joined the Incas. The weaker territories couldn't pass up this opportunity. The children of the territory's leader were sent to Cuzco. Here they were trained in ways to (8) _______________________ the territory and to be good rulers. They then went back to their homes and did the bidding of the Inca leaders. The leader of the Incas was called the Inca. The Inca usually remained in the same family. It was tradition that the son of the Inca would be the leader of the empire's (9) _______________________ forces. One such son was able to take territories in what is now Peru and Bolivia. He also took parts of Chile, Argentina, and Columbia. Territories conquered by the Inca were required to pay taxes to the ruler. Since there was no (10) _______________________ money system, the taxes could be paid with goods or even by working for the empire. It was understood that each family under Incan rule would provide one member of the family to work in the silver and gold mines. When this person died, another would be sent to take his place. It has been told that the tax collectors even took lice from the heads of people too old to work or unable to work. This was a sign that everyone was responsible for tribute of some kind. A Spanish (11) _______________________ named Francisco Pizarro landed in Panama in the early 1520's. By 1526, he and his men had reached the Inca territory. They knew right away that this was a very wealthy kingdom. It didn't take Pizarro long to decide that this was a territory that Spain needed. It also didn't hurt to know that conquering this kingdom would make him a very wealthy man. He went back to Spain to tell the king of his findings. The king sent him back in 1532 with orders to make this kingdom a Spanish territory. Pizarro had only 180 men to the Inca's army of over 80,000. The new leader of the Inca was Atahualpa. He had just become the leader after defeating his own brother in a civil war. Smallpox had killed many of his people. He looked at Pizarro as someone who could help him (12) _______________________ control of his country. Pizarro and Atahualpa met with a few of their people. A Spanish priest tried to explain Christianity to the Incan leader. Both sides had trouble understanding each other. Pizarro got tired of trying to explain things to the Incan leader and finally took him prisoner. Atahualpa tried to bargain with the Spaniards. He offered to give them enough gold to fill the room in which he was being kept. He offered twice that much silver also. Pizarro took the gold and silver. He then had Atahualpa executed, saying that he had committed crimes against his own people. Although another Inca was put on the (13) _______________________ , the



Spanish were now in control of Cuzco and the Inca Empire. By 1572, all (14) _______________________ of Inca rule had been erased from the vast empire. The Spanish were (15) _______________________ leaders. They destroyed all of the innovative systems that the Incas had created for farming, trade, and government. The courage of the Incan people to resist Spanish rule served as an inspiration to generations in future.

Name _____________________________

* Choose the correct answer.

Date ___________________

The Incas, Part 1

1. The Incan Empire was located in South America.

False True

2. According to myth, which god created the Incas?

Sun god Moon god Star god Earth god

3. How do we know the myths told about the creation of the Incan Empire?

They were told from father to son.

They were written in Incan history books.

They are recorded in cave paintings.

They are found on scrolls.

4. How was the Incan Empire organized?

5. What happened when Francisco Pizarro met with the Incan leader Atahualpa?

6. What did Pizarro believe he would get from conquering the Incas?

Land Dignity Wealth Slaves

7. What did Atahualpa offer Pizarro to 8. When did the Incan civilization



let him free? All the slaves he could use A room full of gold and twice

as much silver His throne Enough land to start his own

city

begin? In the 20th century Before Columbus arrived in

the New World At the same time Columbus

arrived in the New World After Columbus discovered

the New World

The Incas, Part 2 By Jane Runyon

drought civilization conquer surrounding

lima chisel chipping standing

primitive mines mandatory value

excess successful military

Directions: Fill in each blank with the word that best completes the reading comprehension.

The people of the Inca civilization lived high in the Andes Mountains. They had to adapt their way of living to their surroundings. Can you imagine trying to plant crops on a hillside? Can you imagine living in a civilization that had no written language? Can you imagine living thousands of miles away from other people in your empire? The Inca Empire was divided into four different regions. The regions all met at one corner. Located at that corner was the city of Cuzco. The ruler, called Inca, lived in the city of Cuzco. He ruled all of the lands around him from his palace. Each of the four regions had their own governor. He watched over the local officials. The local officials were in charge of the farms, the cities, and the (1) _______________________ . The (2) _______________________ and the religious groups had their own officials. In a way, having these different leaders worked much like the checks and balances found in the United States government. No one had too much control. The local officials helped settle disputes among the people. They also were in charge of making sure everyone contributed to the mita. Mita was their word for



(3) ________________ public service. Each family was expected to volunteer one of their members to work for the benefit of all of the people. In most cases, this meant that one member from each family had to work in the gold or silver mines. The Inca were highly skilled architects. They were able to construct stone buildings without using any mortar to seal the stones together. They used a process of placing one large stone on top of another and then lifting it up again to (4) ________________ any rough spots off. By the time they were finished (5) ________________ and sculpting the stones, they fit together perfectly. Not even an earthquake could topple the stones in the building. The temples at the Inca city of Machu Picchu are a (6) _________________ monument to the engineering genius of the people. Another incredible ability of the people was their farming. The hills (7) _______________ Incan cities were steep. Fields could not be plowed in the normal fashion. Any seeds planted on the hillsides would slide down to the bottom in a good rain. The Incans developed two types of farming which have survived the centuries. They developed terrace farming that surpassed any other attempt in any other part of the world. They were able to create flat fields in stair steps up the mountain side. They incorporated a watering system that kept the crops from washing away. They planted different crops at different levels. This way, if one crop failed, it was likely the other wouldn't. The Incas also developed "raised fields." The fields were on platforms built by the farmer. The field was surrounded by canals which provided water to the roots of the plants. These fields and the use of bird droppings as fertilizer helped provide outstanding crops for the farmer. The Incas also believed in storing food for emergency. It has been estimated that the Incas were able to store enough food to feed the people of any city for seven years. They didn't worry about (8) _______________or bad weather. They knew they would have enough to eat. The Incas enjoyed a variety of foods. They raised corn, tomatoes, peppers, (9) _______________ beans, and squash. Their most (10) _____________ crop was potatoes. They were even able to develop a (11) _____________ form of freeze drying their potatoes. They would put them out to dry during the sunny days and then leave them out in the cold nights. They learned to stomp on the potatoes to squeeze (12) ______________ water out of them. These potatoes could now be stored for long periods of time without spoiling. They also preserved meats by salting and then drying them. The nutritional (13) ______________ was not lost by doing this. Very little cooking was done in Inca villages. They were so far up in the mountains, there were few trees. What woods they had was used very sparingly. The Incas believed that when they died they would go somewhere else to live according to how they had spent their life on earth. They had a code which they were expected to live by. The code was "ama suwa, ama llulla, ama quella" which means "do not steal, do not lie, do not be lazy." If they were able to keep the rules of this code, when they died they went to live in the sun's warmth. If they did not live by the code, they were doomed to stay in the cold earth.



Although the Incas had no true written language, they developed a form of communication that was fascinating. A series of multi-colored threads with knots at different places told the whole story. The threads were called Quipu. Many of the Inca people were able to communicate in this way. When the Spanish entered the Inca world and tried to (14) _____________ it, the people of the Inca (15) __________held out as long as they could. When the Spanish took over one city, the leaders fled to another hard-to-find city and continued to rule. It took over 36 years for the Spanish to finally wipe out the Inca Empire. Yet, the creativeness, the engineering and the courage that the Incas displayed have stayed around for centuries.

Name _____________________________

* Choose the correct answer.

Date ___________________

The Incas, Part 2

1. The Incan people were ruled by an Inca.

False True

2. In what mountains did the Incas live? Himalayas Berkshires Alps Andes

3. What did you have to do to live in the sun after death?

Follow the Golden Rule Not steal, lie, or be lazy Be kind to others Do your best in school

4. What did the Inca have instead of written words?

5. What is unusual about the way buildings were constructed in Incan cities?

6. How many years of food were the Incas able to store in case of emergency?

Two years Ten years Seven years Five years

7. What was the Inca's most successful crop?

Peppers

8. What form of farming did the Incas perfect?

Hydroponics



Potatoes Corn Tomatoes

Slash and burn Terrace farming Crop rotation

Grammar Reference Sheet

a. Simple past tense (positive)

* We use the past simple tense to talk about finished events in the past.

Take a look at these examples:

The Incas started to develop about 8 hundred years ago.

The Incas built the city of Machu Picchu.

* We often form the past simple of regular verbs by adding –ed to the base form.

Start + ed = started Work + ed = worked

* We have spelling variations according to verb endings.

Study studied Cry cried

* Irregular verbs have their own past form.

Build built Make made

*There’s only one past form for every person.

I worked You worked He, She, It worked We worked You worked They worked

b. Used to and would (positive)



* We use used to for regular activities or situations in the past that don’t happen now or are no longer true.

The Incas used to communicate through different languages.

The Incas used to punish rebels in public.

* Note that used to is followed by a base form of a verb.

* We use would for regular activities in the past.

The Incas would grow corn.

The Incas would always bow in front of their King to show respect.

Note that would is followed by a base form of a verb.



Works Cited

Bowen, T. “Teaching Approaches: Content-Based Teaching. An article 1111111discussing the benefits of content-based language learning.” 1111111Onestopenglish. Macmillan, n.d.|Web. 10 Mar. 2010.

Brewster, J. “Content-based language teaching: a way to keep students 11111111motivated and challenged? CATS. The IATEFL Young Learners SIG 11111111Publication. 2004. Web. 26 Feb. 2010.

Chamot, A and Michael O’Malley. A Cognitive Academic Language Approach: 1111111An ESL Content-Based Curriculum .Washington, DC: National 1111111Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education. 1986. Print.

Chen, I. “Social Constructivist Theories” An Electronic Textbook on Instructional 11111Technology. An Electronic Textbook on InstructionalTechnology. 11111n.d. Web. 20 Jun. 2010.

Cruz, B. and Stephen Thornton. Teaching Social Studies to English Language 11111Learners(Teaching English Language Learners Across the Curriculum), 11111New York: Mc Graw Hill. 2000. Print.

“Geography.” The American Heritage Dictionary. 5th ed. 2001. Print.

“History.” The American Heritage Dictionary. 5th ed. 2001. Print.

Kramsch, C. (1993), Context and Culture in Language Teaching, Oxford: Oxford !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1University Press. 1993. Print.

Malmkjær, K. and John Williams. Context in Language Learning & Language 111111111Understanding, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1998. 111111111Print.

Runyon, J. “The Incas” edHelper.edHelper. 2009. Web, 13Apr. 2010

Siegal, M. “Sharing your vacation-Send a Postcard” English Teaching Forum 111111Mar. 2008:100+. Print.

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